Guides of Learning

Eventuality cannot be denied.

Once upon a time a teacher, on a small piece of land surrounded by the world's largest ocean, created the most unbelievable classroom.  People from all around the world visited.  They'd sit in on a lesson and gather around afterwards for stimulating conversation.  Soon, an odd thing began to happen.  They noticed a common enjoyment of books, professions, leadership/management thoughts and business ideas beginning to form.  As time went by, a much more meaningful pattern began to develop.  The students evolved into a community, a community of people who sought knowledge and possessed an enormous desire to help others.

The passion fueling this desire whispered in the community's ears.  Unite and move forward.  Realization of what could be teased members in the form of a small, collective project last year.  Momentum reached a tipping point this past month in September's Joyful Jubiliant Learning forum.  The teacher, sensing the excitement, gathered the community's more vocal few and together they built a new classroom.  "Although you will always be students, she said, it is time for you to become guides of learning.  I will support your efforts, but it's you who must carry forward the torch of enlightenment."

*********************************************************

Brother George

Inspiration for my thoughts today come from Starbucker's reflection on his teacher, Brother George.  We've all had teachers like Brother George; tough and demanding individuals who would not settle for anything less than our best.  While I admire folks like Brother George, I am not fortunate enough to possess his teaching style.  And that's ok.  I suspect there are a great many of us who are not wired like Brother George.

Buried Treasure

Stephen King, in his book, On Writing , talks about stories being found things, like fossils in the ground.  The writer's job is to use his tools to remove the layers of dirt on top of the fossil and reveal the story.  I believe there are fossils of learning-potentiality in all of us.  As a guide of learning, it's my job to uncover the layers of dirt by means of clear articulation and discourse driven to provoke thought. 

Once learning-potentiality surfaces it blossoms into ability.  And I believe that everyone has the ability to do wonderful things.  We can all be guides of learning.  Think about someone who needs a few layers of dirt unearthed from their fossil.  What would it take to turn them onto a book, send them an article, send them a link or drop them an e-mail? 

Close your eyes and imagine a network of people tuned into digging up fossils.  Imagine the vibrancy of knowledge exchange.  Imagine the glowing vista of growth and development.  Imagine this network evolving.  Now, slowly open your eyes and look out towards the horizon.  Can you see the vast mounds of dirt?  Can you feel the pulsating beat of learning?  Sure you can.  And you know why?  Because there is here right now!

---

Post Author:
David Rothacker is the author of Rothacker Reviews, where he presents “Most Excellent Books, Businesses and Folks.”

Comments

[Chris Owen]

David
You might think you're not a teacher in the Brother George mould, but you've sure as hell given me some serious thinking to do and plates to step up to!

[Steve Sherlock]

Well done, a couple more of these and we will appoint you to the Brother George Chairpersonship of Learning. I want to go play in some dirt.

[dave]

LOL, Chris-n-Steve! I'd rather however, be a support and not a chair.

Fellow JJLN'ers, I am somewhat limited to Internet access this week. Just think of me for the time being supplying you fresh shovels of remote encouragement.

...and Steve, I'm not entirely convinced that we should be washing our hands. I vote that we TRY real hard here not to let the kid in us get too structured. I seem to do that at work too much. :-)

[Greg Balanko-Dickson]

Way to go storyteller! I am hooked because just when I think "that was interesting" people like you dust off a completely new learning opportunity for me.

The fossils have become teachers and story-tellers... swwweeeeet!

[toni]

As Mae West said "It's only dirty when it's done right", so I say let's start digging! What a great call to arms Dave for all of us and nice introduction on how this began! You may not think you are Brother George caliber, but I say the inspiration call has me "in-spirit" to begin.

I know there are some great bones for us to discover and I am stoked all of you are on my excavation team.

[Rosa]

My goodness. Once-virtual communities collected together on a boundary-less dirt pile looking for fossils, their faces warmly streaked with the muddiness of previously unknown discoveries. Geese honking above in V formations, looking for some fertile ground to land on and dig in too. Chris is stepping up to the plate, and Mae West is pitching. Steve and John have battery-packs strapped on their backs so they can podcast or video-blog both the compelling experience AND the way there for anyone still on a back-roads journey. ... we need an artist to capture some of these images for us!

Dave, mahalo nui for the story, and for being the teller.

[tim]

I remember someone saying that "people live in narrative like fish live in water." We love to think of our lives as an unfolding story. This chapter is a page-turner so far for me.

Great job in capturing the beginning for us Dave. Because with all successful relationships, when people talk to us in the future, one of the first questions will be, "so how did you all meet?" It's at that point that the story takes on true significance and a life of its own.

[Blaine Collins]

Wonderful story telling Dave!

Your discussion has me recalling that fossils leave discernable imprints on the ground around them. As we exchange knowledge, unearthing "fossils of learning-potentiality," we leave imprints on those around us. Brother George left an imprint for learning on you. Your stories leave an imprint for learning on all of us.

[Steve Sherlock]

Wow! It continues...

a minor nit to pick Rosa; you'll need to say "artist with brush in hand".

What is going on here is art. The picture you painted with your description is worthy of anything Matisse or Cezanne did.

To pick up Tim's line, we are all joining in to write our story! Honk, honk!

[Debra Estep]

The greatest of teachers ignite a spark inside of us
that was buried there all along.

With their assistance we are able to see
the treasure too.

BROTHER David... with this post, you
have indeed struck the match.

[Starbucker]

Somewhere, Brother George is smiling right now - trying to figure out yet another arcane (but effective) way of grading papers. Bless him. I second Steve's motion -Dave, you are the Brother George Chairperson of Learning! All the best.